Rainbow Laces: Kristen Fraser still has strong faith in LGBT+ visibility and her

Kristen Fraser celebrated a landmark achievement in Scottish women’s sport in her hometown of Aberdeen two years ago

The Commonwealth bantamweight title belt has pride of place in Kristen Fraser’s living room in Aberdeen but she’s frustrated she hasn’t got a world title by now.

After battling back to fitness after a knee injury, Fraser had a fight lined up for February that got cancelled, and then another one scheduled for March – only to see the pandemic scupper that plan.

Lockdown restrictions eased over the summer, but not by enough. “I felt I was really coming back into it. We’d managed to line up an opportunity for me to fight for a world title in July,” she tells Sky Sports. “Obviously that couldn’t go ahead either. COVID has really ruined my fun.”

However, she’s looking on the bright side. Since making Scottish sports history two years ago – her bantamweight win over Ellen Simwaka was the first for a Scottish woman boxer at Commonwealth title level – she’s become a mum to Robyn alongside her wife Kirsty, and she’s kept working throughout. “I still have a job and an income, and I have a family I can provide for. There are much worse things in life that could have happened. Now I’m just looking to get back out there.”

It takes time to change prejudice and assumptions but particularly in sport, Rainbow Laces go a long way to do that.

Kristen Fraser

She watched with great interest and no little envy when Rachel Ball claimed the interim WBC super-bantamweight belt at Wembley a fortnight ago.

“I believe that I’m a strong competitor at that level and had it not been for lockdown, I would have got an opportunity to prove that,” says Fraser.

“I have a lot of respect for the women who have been fighting on the Matchroom bills. It’s been awesome boxing – and Rachel Ball’s a great domestic fighter.

“But I definitely think I’m up there at that level. It’s just about getting the opportunity at the right time with the right notice period, and I’m there.”

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